TVSquad

A lot of M*A*S*H fans were upset when Wayne Rogers left his role of Trapper John on the CBS show. Many thought he wouldn't have the success he had on the show and others just missed the character (he was replaced by Mike Farrell's B.J. Hunnicutt). He went on to many guest roles and a short-lived, 1976 private eye series I liked, City of Angels. But he actually made most of his money over the past 30 years from smart financial investments. So much so that he's now a commentator on the FOX Business Network. His recent guest was his former co-star Alan Alda.

The two talk about several things in the first video, including Alda's new movie (Diminished Capacity), memory loss, Alda's award nominations, and their days on M*A*S*H. In the second video, Alda sticks around for a discussion with an expert on shows that are actually good for you, and two of those shows are shows that Alda starred in (M*A*S*H and The West Wing).

So, did you hear that they did a poll they did to determine which presidential candidate people would like to hang out with at a barbecue? Obama won 52 to 45 percent over McCain, which may not mean very much in the long run, but the day before July 4th it made news.

The thought of barbecues and July 4th parties got me thinking about which TV characters with whom I'd like to spend Independence Day. I wouldn't want them here at my place, though, I want to go to their places. I have high expectations, too, and a vivid imagination.

Here's the six TV characters who could expect me to join them to watch the rockets red glare -- if only they were real live folks and not just my fictional faves.

Each year, the Emmys honor the best in current TV. They also recognize the all-time greats. This year Bea Arthur, Larry Gelbart, Merv Griffin, Daniel Burke, Tom Murphy and Sherwood Schwartz will be entering the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame. Grand choices, in my opinion, with only a minor quibble which I'll mention later.

According to ATAS chairman and CEO John Shaffner , "The Hall of Fame is a special recognition for those who have made significant contributions and have left an indelible mark on the television business." As Maude in the 1970's and Dorothy on The Golden Girls in the 1980's (into the '90s) Beatrice Arthur, made her mark. She was more effective on TV than she was in the theater, and she was a dynamo on stage.

How good are you at spotting someone's true age? There's been a few times I've caught myself wondering how old that actor really is on TV, when they're playing someone my age and look ten years older. Do I really look that good? Then again, I've seen the opposite and thought, "damn, I am an old decrepit fart." In any case, I'll pull up IMDb and usually find myself in shock of how young/old the actor on-screen really is.

The whole actor-to-character age ratio thing got me curious, so I did a little research (with the help of some of the TV Squad team) and made a list of some of the more extreme and well-known (or, maybe to some, not-so-well-known) examples. By the way, we didn't include actors who played flashback scenes of their characters for short periods of time, as there are more of those than we have room for.

If you read this blog on a frequent basis, you know a few of us are fans of TV writer and blogger Ken Levine. The man has written for The Simpsons, MASH, Cheers, Everybody Loves Raymond, Wings, Dharma and Greg and many other popular and enduring series.

In a recent post, Levine explains how to write for a medical series that uses a lot of jargon: ask a doctor.

How many times have you watched a sitcom on TV and thought, "Hey, I could do that?" Last weekend, twenty aspiring writers came together at the LAX Hilton to test that theory.

The Sitcom Room, an exhausting, yet exhilarating two-day event, was the brainchild of veteran TV sitcom writer Ken Levine. To me, the event was the ultimate summer camp for aspiring writers and/or TV geeks.

That's what Starpulse is saying, and based on a search of Google News, it's the only site saying it. However, a quick scan of Random House's site revealed the book does in fact exist, and will be out on September 4. The book is titled Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself and will be Alda's second book after Never Have Your Dog Stuffed. His first book is one of very few non-fiction books I've read in my lifetime, and it's quite interesting. Even if we didn't know Alda as that guy from M*A*S*H, The West Wing and Scientific American Frontiers, the stories of his childhood --his mentally unstable mother, living above a burlesque house-- are more than engaging enough.

This new book will apparently feature highlights from various speeches Alda has given over the years, a kind of guide on how to enjoy life and get the most out of it. I would say Alda did enough heavy-handed proselytizing when he started writing M*A*S*H episodes, but apparently Alda even pokes fun at his early rhetoric in this book.

That's the Television Critics Association, the organization that represents over 200 TV critics nationwide and in Canada. They've revealed their nominees for their annual awards, and while a lot of the usual shows make the list, there are a few surprises as well. Some of that has to do with their choices, and some of it has to do with the categories they have and the way they nominate (for example, there aren't separate categories for "Best Performance in a Drama - Male" and "Best Performance in a Drama - Female," it's all under "Individual Achievement in Drama."

The list is after the jump.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• American Dad - Vol. 2
• Banacek - Season 1
• Coach - Season 2
• Curious George - Rocket Ride and Other Adventures
• ER - Season 7
• Frasier - Season 9
• Home Improvement - Season 6
• M*A*S*H - Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen
• Martin - Season 2
• Masters of Horror - Right To Die
• Monarch of the Glen - Series 6
• Playboy After Dark - Collection 2
• A Pup Named Scooby-Doo - Vol. 6
• The Rockford Files - Season 4
• Tom and Jerry - Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection
• Tom and Jerry Tales - Vol. 2
• The War At Home - Season 1
• Wings - Season 4

So the other day Bob and I were making moonshine behind my garage when I told him about this funny video I stumbled across a couple months ago (video is at the end of the post).

"You should post it on TV Squad," he told a shovel because he was too drunk to know it wasn't me.

"You're right, I should," I replied.

Welcome to TV Squad Lists (formerly 'The Five'), a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

Even before "Must-See TV" networks made an attempt to capture a particular demographic with a killer lineup of TV shows. (Bob's done one of these lists in the past.) What follows is a list of the best TV lineups in history.

1. CBS Saturday, 1973: All in the Family, M*A*S*H*, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, The Carol Burnett Show. All classics. If this lineup were on today, it would still get huge ratings. It's hard for most folks to remember when these shows were originally on and it's even harder to believe that they were once all on in the same night. It makes me wonder what the other networks were showing or why they even bothered.

When you sit down to watch an episode of Scrubs do you compare the zany antics of Turk and J.D. to those of Hawkeye and Trapper John? Do you equate the tough love of Carla to that of Major Margaret Houlihan? Does Bob Kelso remind you of Frank Burns?

I ask because over the last few weeks we've seen a few comments on our Scrubs reviews stating that the show can be considered the new M*A*S*H, that other medical comedy from a generation ago (for those of us who remember first-run episodes of that show you can now feel old.). It does have its similarities: both are shows that mix comedy with serious topics; both have their wacky characters; and both are workplace comedies (even though M*A*S*H's workplace location was the Korean War). But, is Scrubs really the new M*A*S*H? Kind of, but not quite.

Henry and Matt at Brohans.com have compiled what they are absolutely, positively sure are the twenty greatest '80s television series ever. They are:

• Mr. Belvedere
• The Dukes of Hazzard
• Knight Rider
• Night Court
• ALF
• Perfect Strangers
• The Golden Girls
• Growing Pains
• Married ... with Children
• Who's the Boss?
• Magnum P.I.
• Doogie Howser, M.D.
• The Cosby Show
• The A-Team
• Miami Vice
• The Wonder Years
• MASH
• MacGyver
• Cheers
• Star Trek: The Next Generation

Last week, I caught some of TV Land's M*A*S*H marathon, and I've got to tell you, my all-time favorite show really hasn't aged much, as far as I'm concerned. If an episode I particularly enjoy is being shown, I'll still stop and watch it, knowing full well what the plot and even some of the dialogue will be. I especially like the episodes from the show's later years, which some felt were overly dramatic and preachy; I just feel they're better written and show more character development than the earlier episodes.

Anyway, as part of the marathon, TVL showed the record-setting finale, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen," in its entirety. I've got to be honest with you; I probably haven't seen that movie in one shot since it first aired in 1983.

Here's some news to add on to our Holiday Loot spending guides we've been posting: Amazon is having a huge sale on FOX DVDs, some of them as much as 50% off. So now you can get those cool DVDs you asked someone to get you for Christmas but didn't get because someone got you socks or a McDonald's gift card instead.

For example, you can get the first season of Bones for only $24.97, which is 50% off the list price. A fan of Arrested Development? You can get the third season for only $18.00! You can also get seasons of The X-Files, M*A*S*H, Angel, and other titles. Of course, if you're already a fan of these shows you may have already bought them when they first came out. But I know a lot of people (like me) don't always buy the DVDs when they first go on sale. Unless it's the complete seasons of shows like The West Wing and The Twilight Zone, and then I go nutty.

Amazon always has discounts on their items, less than you'd pay in the store, but these prices are even bigger discounts than usual so it might be a good time to beef up your collection.

[via TVShowsOnDVD]